With 18 holes remaining, Britisher Ted Ry holds a precarious lead over a host of challengers
Eighteen holes from the conclusion of the virtual British Open, nine players remain crammed within six shots of the top of the leaderboard.
For that moment, the top of that board is occupied by Ted Ray, champion of the 1912 British Open. One of the greats of the first two decades of the 20th century, Ray birdied the final two holes Saturday at Royal St. George’s to break open a day-long battle for the lead he had been waging with Walter Hagen.
Ray has put together consistent rounds of 64-65-65 to position himself to make a run at the championship.
Winner of the virtual PGA Championship in May, Hagen appeared to have a solid grip on the lead most of Saturday. Until Ray birdied the par 5 14th – the legendary Suez Canal Hole – Hagen had held or shared first the entire round. His Saturday card included seven birdies offset by three bogeys for a 66 that left him two strokes behind Ray.
But with a difficult 18 holes remaining to be played, the contenders were tightly bunched behind Ray and Hagen. 1880s three-time British Open champion Bob Ferguson shot a superb 64 to assume third place at -13, three behind Ray.
Henrik Stenson, the 2016 winner, shot 68 and was one of three players at 12-under. He joined George Duncan and Jamie Anderson at that figure. Perhaps the greatest champion of them all, Jack Nicklaus, fashioned a 67 that left him tied with 1925 champion Jim Barnes and five-time winner Peter Thomson at -11, five behind Ray.
And don’t count out Seve Ballesteros, one of several players in the field known for their Sunday sprints. Although six behind, Ballesteros carded a 68 Saturday.
One of Saturday’s notable moves was made by three-time British Open champion Tiger Woods. After finishing an indifferent 36 holes at one-over 141, Woods opened eagle-birdie Saturday, birdied two of the final four holes, and closed with a 65, by far his best showing of the week.
He’s still a dozen strokes off the lead, but that round did position him to make a run at the top 10 with a good effort Sunday. Woods sits in a tie for 21st at minus-4.
Mark O’Meara, the 1998 British Open champion, joined Ferguson in making the biggest move Saturday. O’Meara also shot 64, finishing in a tie for 20th at 5-under.
On a Royal St. George’s course pockmarked for the second consecutive day by rain, the roster of all-time champions handled the less-than-ideal conditions well. The average score Saturday was actually about a third of a stroke under par.
Here are the full 54-hole scores.
Player                                  1 – 2 – 3- Tot.
Ted Ray                64-65-65-194
Walter Hagen                   64-66-66-196
Bob Ferguson                   67-66-64-197
Henrik Stenson                66-64-68-198
George Duncan         66-67-65-198
Jack Nicklaus                     66-65-68-199
Peter Thomson                67-66-66-199
Jim Barnes                         71-61-67-199
Seve Ballesteros              63-69-68-200
Hugh Kirkaldy                   68-65-68-201
Reg Whitcombe        67-68-66-201
John H. Taylor                   67-67-67-201
Zach Johnson                    66-70-65-201
Harry Vardon           68-67-67-202
Roberto deVicenzo      67-64-71-202
Ernie Els                              66-69-69-204
Young Tom Morris       68-70-66-204
Jack Simpson           63-67-74-204
Henry Cotton           67-67-71-205
Willie Park Sr.                    71-69-65-205
Mark O’Meara          69-72-64-205
Sandy Herd                        67-72-66-205
Tiger Woods                      70-71-65-206
Sandy Lyle                          72-68-66-206
David Brown                     68-69-69-206
Willie Auchterlonie      72-69-65-206
Willie Fernie                      69-72-66-207
Louis Oosthuizen            68-71-68-207
Gary Player                        70-72-65-207
Harold Hilton*Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 65-75-67-207
Nick Faldo                          66-69-72-207
Jamie Anderson         62-67-69-208
Fred Daly                            78-60-70-208
Arnold Palmer                  71-67-70-208
Arthur Havers                   71-69-68-208
Tom Watson                     68-71-69-208
Shane Lowry                     66-72-70-208
James Braid                       67-71-71-209
Greg Norman           68-67-74-209
Bob Martin                        71-72-66-209
Old Tom Morris                70-68-72-210
Gene Sarazen                   69-71-70-210
Kel Nagle                            71-68-71-210
Alf Padgham                     70-72-68-210
Arnaud Massy                  68-67-75-210
Darren Clarke                   69-68-74-211
Phil Mickelson                  69-72-70-211
Francesco Molinari         68-72-71-211
Justin Leonard                  71-72-69-212
Mungo Park                      69-68-75-212
Tom Weiskopf                  66-73-74-213
Bob Charles                       74-66-73-213
Jordan Spieth                   70-71-72-213
Jack White                         67-75-71-213
Willie Park Jr.                    68-74-71-213
Bobby Locke                     75-66-73-214
Alf Perry                             70-73-71-214
John Ball*Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 72-71-72-215
Max Faulkner                   71-79-65-215
Stewart Cink                     77-71-67-215
Johnny Miller                    70-72-74-216
Rory McIlroy                    72-72-72-216
Ian Baker-Finch                70-77-71-218
Nick Price                           75-72-71-218
Lee Trevino                       70-75-74-219
Tony Jacklin                       74-77-68-219
Mark Calcavecchia          74-78-68-220
David Duval                       71-73-76-220
Padraig Harrington         70-77-74-221
Dick Burton            73-68-80-221
Tom Lehman                     74-74-75-223
Paul Lawrie                        71-77-75-223
Bill Rogers                          73-76-74-223
John Daly                            71-78-74-223
Todd Hamilton          83-67-75-225
Ben Curtis                          74-81-73-228
*denotes amateur